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Anthony’s Clinical Biography

Anthony Gershenson, LMFT

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Click here to see my profile and credentials:

Clinical Background

I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. In 2011 I earned a master’s degree in clinical psychology, specializing in marital and family therapy, from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in downtown Los Angeles, CA. My education started out as a way to better understand people and what drives their behavior, but grew into lifelong passion.

I began my clinical traineeship in North Hollywood at New Directions for Youth: a non-profit agency providing mental health services and community resources to adolescents at high risk for gang involvement. As a staff therapist I was able to work with so many wonderful kids and their families—many of whom lived in single parent homes struggling with extreme poverty. This was an immensely difficult first experience in practicing psychotherapy that challenged much of how I viewed myself and the world. Yet this is also where I fell in love with being a therapist. Everything changed when I learned I could make an actual difference in someone’s life. Empowering teens and their families to help themselves, literally witnessing their personal growth and progress right before my eyes…I was hooked.

When my traineeship ended, and I had accrued enough experience to register as a Marriage and Family Therapist Intern, I wanted to continue my work in the public sector. Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services became my new home over the subsequent four years. Founded over a century ago, this non-profit organization specializes in treating severely emotionally and behaviorally disturbed children/adolescents. It was at Vista that my training took a quantum leap as I was able to hone my clinical skills treating a wider range of kids struggling with a variety of issues. I received extensive training in a number of evidence-based treatment practices and became adept at managing crisis issues. But the “crown jewel” of Vista Del Mar is the outstanding clinical supervision. I was fortunate enough to practice under the tutelage of brilliant therapists such as Ali Goldstein, LMFT and Dyan Colven, PsyD. They were the guiding force encouraging me to constantly be better and they helped me to develop my own style and specialties. I am eternally in their debt.

While working at Vista Del Mar, I wanted to expand my focus to include not only treating adolescents, but adults and couples as well. I sought a private practice setting and began working under the license of Doug Green (my aforementioned supervisor) and later Curt Widhalm, LMFT. Here I was able to treat teens, adults, and couples for several years. After a while, I noticed many of my clients somehow shared similar concerns (ADHD, anxiety, family conflict). Before long, my specialty in treating Attention Deficit Disorder, anxiety, and interpersonal challenges became fully apparent.

Today, I continue to love my work and maintain a private practice where I treat adults and teens. The desire to share what I’ve learned with the world led me to speak on public panels regarding assessment and treatment of ADHD and anxiety issues. I’ve also been lucky enough to have a magazine article published about parent-child conflict over video games, and have functioned as a consultant for teachers/faculty both public and private. And I’m still learning…

The final thing about me as a therapist is by far the most important: a guarantee. To be clear, I’m not guaranteeing results from treatment. Rather, I’m assuring you that therapy is my passion, to me it often doesn’t feel like work, and when I am your therapist you get 150% effort. Remember, you are a person, not a disorder or a paycheck. So, how can I help you?